The Azure Cloud Sect hadn't seen this much chaos in a hundred years.
Elders argued. Disciples sprinted like headless chickens. Someone dropped a spirit beast egg. A scroll exploded.
And at the center of it all, glowing under the light of a thousand spiritual lanterns, was a young man standing calmly atop the ceremonial platform—robes fluttering, hair tied in a careless ponytail, and an expression so serene it was borderline smug.
His name? Bai Liuyun.
His cultivation realm? Absolutely nonexistent.
His talent? Questionable at best.
But thanks to an ancient artifact he accidentally shoplifted from a collapsed tomb—a cracked, palm-sized bronze shard known as the Mirror of False Divinity—he now radiated the aura of a peak Martial Sage.
He hadn't meant to end up here. Not really.
One minute he was pretending to be a wandering alchemist selling powdered snake bones as "dragon marrow," and the next, he was sucked into a teleportation array etched on the bottom of a chamber pot. When the smoke cleared, he was face-to-face with the entire upper echelon of Azure Cloud Sect.
And somehow, they had declared him their long-lost Divine Heir.
"Ah… yes," Bai Liuyun said, nodding gravely as the elders knelt before him. "Reincarnation is a lonely road. Many trials. Many noodles."
"Noodles?" muttered a junior disciple.
"Shhh!" Elder Jian elbowed him. "Don't interrupt the profound insights of a returning Immortal!"
Bai Liuyun coughed politely and activated the Mirror under his sleeve. A faint golden pressure rolled outward, subtle but terrifying—like a sleeping dragon opening one eye.
Disciples fainted. Birds scattered. The Sect Master's beard lifted three inches off his face.
"His divine aura… it's awakening!" someone cried.
Yes, yes, Bai Liuyun thought smugly. Bow, peasants. Feed my illusion-cultivator ego.
But his victory parade was short-lived.
A cold voice echoed from the back of the crowd.
"If he's truly the Divine Heir, let him prove it."
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and a man stepped forward.
Sword on his back. Black robes. Cold eyes sharper than any blade.
Li Chen. Azure Cloud Sect's number one core disciple. Genius of his generation. Total pain in the ass.
He bowed respectfully—but his tone was anything but polite. "Sect Master, with all due respect… should we not verify his identity with a duel?"
Murmurs spread. Bai Liuyun's heartbeat skipped like a drunk rabbit.
Duel? Wait, wait, wait—there was nothing in the fraud manual about dueling.
"Just a friendly exchange," Li Chen continued, eyes glinting. "One strike. If he is the Divine Heir, he should defeat me easily."
Elder Jian frowned. "Li Chen, how dare you question the Heaven-Seeking Mirror!"
Bai Liuyun raised a hand calmly. "No, no. Let him speak. It's only fair."
Everyone looked at him. He took a deep breath and gave Li Chen a mysterious smile.
"I do not accept your challenge," he said.
Gasps echoed through the courtyard.
"But not because I fear you," he added, stepping forward. "I do not accept because… you are already injured."
Li Chen's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Bai Liuyun waved his hand vaguely. "There's tension in your left wrist. Subtle instability in your stance. A tremor in your Qi flow. Hidden damage, yes? Perhaps from your last duel? Fighting you now would be… bullying the weak."
Please let this bluff land, Bai Liuyun prayed silently.
Li Chen's face twitched.
Elder Jian clapped his hands. "Astounding! He saw through Li Chen's concealed injury!"
"I didn't even sense it myself!" someone whispered.
"Truly divine perception!"
Bai Liuyun smiled humbly, folding his arms behind his back. "I suggest you rest, Brother Li. Heaven's will must not be tested lightly."
Behind his calm façade, Bai Liuyun's legs were jelly. But he stood tall, bathed in reverence.
And just like that, the scam of the century had begun.